Myanmar moves into movies

[GWR]

Film on Burma 's detained Nobel Laureate to commence soon

Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)

January 15, 2008 - Italian film director Giuseppe Tornatore will soon capture the journey of Burmese pro-democracy icon, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, on celluloid in an effort to honour and highlight her struggle to restore democracy in her native land.

It will be an English film with an estimated budget of 30 million US dollars, Naofumi Okamoto, the film's Japanese producer said. Okamoto happens to be among the very few foreigners, who have met the detained Burmese leader. She has been under house arrest for the last 12 years of the 18 years she has spent in Burma.

Speaking to Mizzima over the telephone, Okamoto said, "The purpose of producing this film is to honour Noble Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, because she chooses to be a mother to a nation instead of being a mother to a family, it is a very difficult thing for women to do."

The film's script will be completed in May and shooting is likely to begin by September or October this year. It would be the first movie depicting the life and times of the Nobel Laureate.

"We are still working on the script, it may be finished by May and after that we will start shooting," Okamoto said.

According to the producer, the film would be shot in Southeast Asia, with Thailand and Vietnam being the most likely venues. Malaysia could also be considered. However, he added that nothing had been confirmed yet. He had chosen Italian award winning director Tornatore, as he was famous for making women-centric films, Okamoto said.

The Japanese producer, who had a chance to meet Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the early 1990s, said he has been working on the film for several years and had finally, thought of commencing shooting.

"I have been trying to make this film for the past ten years and we have already met three times [with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] and also got the permission from her for creating this film," Okamoto said.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of Burma's independence hero General Aung San, who spearheaded the Burmese independence movement against the British colonial rulers. Educated at Oxford University and married to an English scholar, Suu Kyi, returned to her homeland in 1988, only to be met with political chaos, where the student-led protestors put an end to the more then 20 years of one party rule in the country.

She was catapulted to lead the Burmese Opposition after her public speeches during the time of protests. She later formed a political party – the National League for Democracy – which won a landslide victory in the 1990 General Elections.

Despite leading her party to victory, Suu Kyi was never allowed to govern the country, which her father had envisaged as a free and prosperous nation. Instead, the military rulers had her put under house arrest, detaining her for the past 12 of 18 years.
http://www.mizzima.com/MizzimaNews/News/2008/Jan/35-Jan-2008.html

European producers interested in Bogyoke Aung San biography film

Nay Thwin
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)

January 14, 2008 - Burmese director and comedian Zargana is writing script on Bogyoke Aung San's biography. This will be the first ever fictional epic picture based on Bogyoke's biography with real historical characters. Ko Zargana said the European producers are interesting in his script and producing the film, but he said that he would insist on filming this film in the locations inside Burma. Ko Nay Thwin of Mizzima interviewed him by phone.

Click link below for interview

http://www.mizzima.com/MizzimaNews/Interview/Jan-14-2008.html

[GWR]

Rambo to the Rescue
By Violet Cho
January 17, 2008

After much fanfare, the Hollywood movie “He is Back” premieres on January 25. The movie features action hero Rambo on a rescue mission to Burma and was filmed on location around Chiang Mai in Thailand.

The British newspaper, Daily Mail, quoted leading actor Sylvester Stallone as saying: “I witnessed the aftermath [in Burma]—survivors with legs cut off and all kinds of land mine injuries, maggot-infested wounds and ears cut off.

“We saw many elephants with blown-off legs. We hear about Vietnam and Cambodia, but this was more horrific," he reportedly said.

"This is a hellhole beyond your wildest dreams," Stallone said. "All the trails are mined. The only way into Burma is up the river."

The fourth in a series of “Rambo” films, this time the Hollywood action hero heads into the Burmese jungle to rescue Western missionaries abducted by the Burmese military.

Many Burmese are planning to watch the movie; but several have different expectations.

A Burmese university student in Bangkok said that he was excited about the upcoming Rambo movie. “I think that it will be fun to watch this movie,” he said.

A young Burmese living in Canada said he sees the movie as a chance to raise awareness about the situation of the indigenous people in Burma to an international level. However, he pointed out that if this were a movie that was “supporting missionaries,” it would hold contradicting views among Burmese communities.

On the same day that “He is Back” is released, members of the Burmese community in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the United States, will organize a photo exhibition of Burmese people who have been killed or oppressed by the military regime.

They said they will also distribute pamphlets with the message: “Stop Killing, Support Free Burma, Join our Movement, Free Burma” while wearing saffron-colored T-shirts.

Several Hollywood celebrities have recently shown interest in the Burma crisis and have helped increase awareness of the situation.

During the military crackdown on monks and protesters, comedian Jim Carrey joined the Burma campaign and called for the release of Burmese democracy icon, Aung San Su Kyi via Internet site “YouTube.”

Other movie stars, namely Eric Szmanda, who stars in the award-winning series “CSI,” and Walter Koenig, a member of the “Star Trek” series cast, recently visited Karen refugee camps along the Thai border.

Well-known Burmese film director and comedian Zarganar said that the Hollywood celebrities had become interested in Burmese issues following the demonstrations in September 2007.

“I think the ‘Saffron Revolution’ was the force that increased the interest of Hollywood people in Burma. I never realized that so many American movie stars had come to visit Burma until after I was released from detention,” he said.

In Europe, Italian film director Giuseppe Tornatore is also due to make a movie about Burma’s pro-democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi. It is to be an English-language film with an estimated budget of US $30 million.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=9970